When it comes to cheesiness, neither cheddar nor cottage cheese have anything on ProVerb (pictured).
Yes, you are probably thinking that is a weird way to describe someone, but hear me out. When it comes to his music, nothing about the rapper is accidental. Everything is meticulously planned, with his biggest weapon being his infectious wordplay. In a normal conversation, he is the guy who will say some-thing clever, with a hidden meaning, and enjoys seeing if you can decode it.
Take his new album for example, The Read Tape. You may be tricked to thinking the “read” is in present tense, but it’s not. It’s in the past tense, yet the artwork accompanying the project is in the colour red, which rhymes with “read” as in the past tense, because metaphorically he is speaking about red tape. There is also a cassette featured in the artwork, which we also know as a tape. The Read Tape, get it? Well, that’s ProVerb for you, the most conceptual MC in the game, and at five albums in he is only getting started.
“All of my albums have been books. Starting out with The Book Of ProVerb, Manuscript AKA My New Script, Write Of Passage which is my writing of passages and FourthWrite which is the fourth that I wrote,” he said with obvious satisfaction.
Dressed in red to honour the theme of his new project, ProVerb spoke about how he came up with the slick title for his album.
“Red tape is synonymous with limitations, boundaries and restrictions. With this album I aim to break those limitations and take it into uncharted terrain from a lyricist’s point of view. Also, a physical tape is synonymous with the ’90s cassettes and also ‘read’ because it’s something I authored.
“On my first album I say that I am bringing you a library of rhymes, a book at a time, and this is my fifth book.”
Having been in the rap game for 10 years, ProVerb has truly made a name for himself on the mic, in radio and on TV and he uses this album to acknowledge that journey.
“I am blessed to have come this far and just want to use this project to reflect and show my appreciation to my fans for having helped me from the onset,” he said.
With a launch show next month, at Gold Reef City’s The Lyric Theatre, ProVerb can’t wait to share his new music.
“I am more excited than I have been in a long time. I am also fired up and willing to go far with this album. The first place to start will be with this concert that I am doing on March 4 at The Lyric Theatre. The day is very important to me because few people realise that it’s the day I released my first album so I am essentially coming full circle,” he explained.
Given that the album features a number of artists from all over the world, it’s no surprise that the launch will see some of these names joining our gifted rapper on the stage.
“The collaborations range from the local acts to African collaborations and international ones, too. The strategy is to widen my horizons and have my music all over the world. Some of these artists will be with me on March 4 and we are going to have a party out of it,” he said.
The rapper admits that his numerous duties sometimes get in the way of having a proper musical tour, but he did say that there will be more shows to promote The Read Tape.
“The drive is not to compromise on one thing for the sake of the other. I was busy all year last year with Idols, but I found time to write and produce the album. So in the same way, whenever I get a moment we will string up a show and jam. It’s about balancing all the areas of my life,” he said.
The Read Tape is set to be released at the end of this month.
• The Read Tape will be launched at Gold Reef City’s The Lyric Theatre on March 4. Tickets: R150 and R335 at Computicket.
THE READ TAPE
ProVerb
****
Shouting through the gag.
Let’s get one thing straight, ProVerb’s album The Read Tape has not been released yet. In fact, there are only three copies in the world and Tonight was the first publication to sample one of them. With the rapper sitting next to us, we went through the project and it was a party on a Thursday morning.
“When you get to my age, you realise that you have so many experiences which I feel should be reflected in your music,” he said playing the track Hip Hop Is Me, which has samples of a KRS1 track. It’s a well thought- out mellow statement which pushes the definition of hip hop from just loud music, graffiti or sagging jeans.
Following that is Nobody Knows which you might find interesting as it addresses the fact that some people think music is something ProVerb does not take seriously since he has a flourishing TV career.
He argues otherwise on this track and when it’s done you’ll have a different understanding of the rapper.
You know when you call someone you get the annoying voicemail message voice telling you to leave a message? ProVerb has that voice on Message and for the first time you can dance along to it. Yes, believe it. The uptempo song is basically him asking all artists to respect the recording booth and leave a meaningful message that people can relate to.
The final track is the title track, The Read Tape, which will be a hit song as it advocates people to pursue their dreams, and when death finds them, it should be during a time when they are doing what they love.
– Munya Vomo
DID YOU KNOW?
• His Real name is Tebogo Thekiso.
• He was born in Kimberly.
• He is 33, married with two kids.
• He started out as a TV presenter on Channel O.
• Despite numerous nominations in various music awards, ProVerb has never won an award.
• Unlike the usual hype stating that all rappers should have feuds with each other, ProVerb tends to shy away from all that stuff and simply prefers to make his music.
• In recent years he has been on a strict diet and exercise regimen that has resulted in him losing an incredible amount of weight.
• He has been on six seasons of IdolsSA, two of which in the capacity of co-executive producer.
• His first ever rap verse goes as follows:
Picture the ProVerb rhyme,
Sharing the mic with Joburg’s finest,
Representing the capital cities of gold and diamonds,
I am faster than distance over time
I expect you to know that it is the formula for speed,
If you did all your science, kid.
• He is so paranoid about having bad breath, he always has a mints on hand.
• Before settling on ProVerb, the rapper had the monikers Scandalous, Tentative T, T Bone, T Bone Steak and Steak.
• The motto he lives by: I ask three questions: what do you want? What are you doing to get it? And what are you waiting for?